all we need to do is start
by himikiyo
Summary: Touko meets Komaru for the first time in a cafe. As it turns out, she's more than just a fan of her work.


Ah, Sunday morning. One of the most peaceful times of the week, in Touko's opinion. It hadn't always been, when she'd had cruel parents or rowdy classmates to deal with, and even now, Syo had turned an idyllic sunrise bloody more than once, but overall, Sunday mornings were a time when Touko could almost feel normal.

She slipped into her favorite cafe, pleased to find that it wasn't crowded. There were a few people dotted throughout the room, mostly couples out for brunch or older people on their own, and it was perfectly, blessedly quiet.

Ordering a coffee and a small pastry, Touko settled down at one of her preferred tables, tucked away in a corner near the window. The pale sunlight streamed in, making stripes on the scraped-up wooden table, but her position was such that the other people in the cafe shouldn't have any reason to notice her. Just the way she liked it.

She flipped open her notebook and laid it out on the table, absentmindedly biting at the end of her pen as she tried to figure out where to go with the next scene. Ideally, the protagonists would realize that they still had unfinished business with each other, just in time to avoid going their separate ways. Then, their journey across the country would lead to a rivalry blooming into love, but...How? Touko growled softly in frustration, barely even looking up when her breakfast was delivered.

She _had _to make progress on this novel today. Remaining stalled for so long was unacceptable, especially for someone as prolific as her. Her writing talent was all she had.

Just as Touko was contemplating what she would do if her agent got sick of working with her entirely, a girl she'd never seen before plopped down in the seat across from her.

"Hi! I'm so glad I ran into you here, I was just thinking about you," the girl enthused, grinning at her. Her cheerfulness made Touko's stomach churn.

"Who _are_ you?" she asked bluntly, pushing her glasses up on the bridge of her nose and tapping her pen impatiently against the surface of her notebook. "If this is some kind of prank, you can forget about it. I'm not here to be entertainment for a bunch of high school brats."

The girl flinched, clearly not anticipating that response, and then she frowned, leaning in to inspect Touko more closely.

"I'm not in high school, I'm in college," she protested, leaning her chin against her hand. "And what do you mean, who am I? I'm Komaru...Komaru Naegi? We went on a date last week?" Ugh, this Komaru girl, whoever she was, was starting to look hurt, and Touko scoffed, looking away from her.

"Clearly you have the wrong person. You thought it was funny, did you, a single romance author? Well, you won't trick me. I know exactly what you're up to."

"But...aren't you Syo?" Komaru asked, tipping her head to the side like a confused puppy. "Fukawa?"

Immediately, Touko tensed, nearly spilling coffee all over her handwritten manuscript. _No. _This was impossible. She should have known it was a possibility when this stranger seemed so strongly convinced they'd met, but...anyone Syo introduced herself to generally didn't live long enough for Touko to see them afterwards.

"No," she said, setting her mug down with more force than she needed to. Touko inched away a little, the legs of her chair screeching quietly against the floor. "No, that's not my name." A sharp inhale, and then she continued. "I'm Touko Fukawa. Syo is...my sister," she settled on, the words feeling strange in her mouth. Then again, it wasn't totally incorrect. "Twin."

"Oh," Komaru said, visibly relaxing. "That explains it. She didn't mention having a sister...Wait, Touko Fukawa? Like the author?"

Touko couldn't help but preen just a little, taking a delicate bite of pastry before replying. Meeting fans was one of the few social interactions she was relatively comfortable with.

"Yes, that's me. I'm...working on a new novel right now, actually," she said hesitantly, fingers curling over the edge of her notebook. "Before you disturbed me, that is."

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you. It's just that I got so excited..." She chuckled, leaning closer so eagerly she nearly tipped her chair over. "But I'd love to hear a little bit about it! Your books are amazing. I mostly read manga, but I have your whole collection."

Touko's face reddened. Syo or not, it wasn't every day that she had a pretty girl acting so interested in her work and what she had to say. "W-well, I suppose I could explain some of it to you," she said, fingers tugging anxiously at an errant lock of hair. "If you really want to know that badly."

Once she started talking about her treasured characters and the storylines she was weaving for them, Touko was in the zone, hardly even noticing anything around her aside from Komaru's occasional responses. By the time she finally finished talking, they were both smiling, and the cafe was filled with an entirely different set of people than when she'd come in. Had they really been sitting there that long?

"So, that's...pretty much what I have so far," Touko wrapped up awkwardly, far too aware of Komaru's presence now.

"That sounds really great, Touko. I'd love to hear more about it sometime. Or...about you. I'm sure we'll wind up seeing each other again, right?"

"I'm not so sure about that," she said, voice heavy with suspicion. "What do you mean?"

"Well, if I keep hanging out with Syo," Komaru said, drumming her fingers against the table nervously. "Means I'll probably run into you more too. And...I'd really like to get to know you, Touko. You're really kinda cute!"

Touko fumbled for something to say, struck speechless. Uncharacteristically, she couldn't even find an insult or jab to stammer out.

"Um, Syo told me, to be honest. About you. How you're not sisters."

"She _what_?" If Touko was anxious before, now she was downright panicked. She took a quick look around their table, starting to gather up her things in a hurry.

"It's okay! It's okay. It's a little strange, and I'm not totally sure I understand, but I really want to get to know you both," she said, very hesitantly resting a hand over Touko's. "And...maybe date you both? If that's okay? We can figure it out, but I do really want to see you again, Touko. Think about it at least."

Touko swallowed heavily, looking down at Komaru's hand overlapping her own, and thinking about how soft her skin was.

"Okay."


End file.
